Blogger Donal
Blaney is expecting a massive increase in the volume of people
reading his blog today, after his lawyer successfully won the right
to serve a High Court injuction against an anonymous user on
Twitter.
In his blog post, Blaney said, "Today is a great day for the
overwhelming majority of well-meaning, decent people who use the
internet and a bad day for bullies. It is, as I have said in the
media, the day the scales of justice were tipped back in favour of
innocent victims. I am proud that my firm, Griffin Law, has set
precedent and made law today."
The Order which is called a Blaney's Blarney Order after the
subject matter - requires an unknown Twitter user anonymously
posting under the same name, and thus breaching the copyright and
intellectual property of the blog's owner, to stop posting and
immediately identify themselves.
The Blaney's Blarney Order is the first order ever to be served
via Twitter and signals an end to anonymous breaches of the law on
Twitter or any other internet site.
Matthew Richardson, the barrister who devised and won the
Blaney's Blarney Order, said: "The Blaney's Blarney Order is a huge
step forward in preventing anonymous abuse of the internet. People
have to learn that they can no longer hide behind the cloak of
anonymity the internet provides and break the law with
impunity."